Millwall re-sign Tim Cahill on deal until the end of the season

The 38-year-old has become Neil Harris' latest signing as the Millwall manager looks to bolster his squad this month.

Millwall re-sign Tim Cahill on deal until the end of the season. (picture: Getty Images / Matthew Peters)

Millwall manager Neil Harris has made his first addition of the January transfer window as he has persuaded former Everton forward Tim Cahill to re-sign for the club where he first made a name for himself.

The 38-year-old has joined the Lions on a deal until the end of the season and it remains to be seen whether Harris will now look to secure further additions before Wednesday's deadline.

A legend returns to The Den

Everyone connected with Millwall will be delighted with the news that one of their most successful players has returned to the club. He had been holding talks with the club about a potential return over the last few days following his departure from Melbourne City just last month.

He is a very popular figure at The Den as he scored 57 goals in a total of 251 appearances for the Championship club over a six-year period before deciding to make the move to the Premier League and join Everton in 2004. Other Championship sides such as Nottingham Forest and Queens Park Rangers were also said to be interested in securing his services but it was always going to be difficult for the forward to turn down a return to his former club.

Since leaving Everton in 2012, he has gone on to play for New York Red Bulls, Shanghai Shenhua, Hangzhou Greentown and most recently Melbourne City. However, after helping Australia qualify for the World Cup in Russia this summer, he believes he needs regular game-time in order to secure his place in the squad and ensure he is up to speed for the tournament.

Harris is not the sort of manager to sign a player purely for sentimental reasons and he will have secured Cahill's signature in the belief that he will improve his squad. Harris does already have the likes of Steve Morison and Lee Gregory at his disposal so it will be interesting to see whether Cahill slots straight into his starting line-up or not.

Cahill is a popular figure at The Den. (picture: Getty Images / Laurence Griffiths)

Return to Millwall "hard to put into words"

The forward has spoken of his delight to return 'home' to the club where he first made a name for himself in English football and he has stated how he now cannot wait to get started.

He told the club's official site: "It's an amazing feeling. To finally come home and to join Neil Harris, David Livermore and all the lads will be really special. I can't wait to greet the fans, meet my new team-mates - it's one of those things where it's meant to be."

He added: "It's hard to put into words. I'm still taking it in now. The first thing I wanted to do when with Neil was to walk on the pitch and in the tunnel and have that feeling again that brings back so many memories."

Cahill could make his debut at The Den on Tuesday night as the Lions welcome high-flying Derby County. It would certainly be a tough game for Cahill to make his debut in but it is a challenge he would most definitely relish.